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Misinformation: the Thin-Skinned and the Gullible
A close friend of mine received some unwelcome post recently: a letter from the local police force with an accusation of insulting behaviour. It referred to a comment she had posted on a certain social media web site – well-known for its own lack of legal responsibility, partisanship and the politics of its owner – where she drew, in no uncertain terms, the original poster’s attention to a piece of misinformation from a German politician, well known for a wealth of false claims over the years, and described the further distribution of such fact-free propaganda as more than just foolish. The poster felt that their honour and credibility had been…
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Whatever Happened To Customer Service?
Anyone who has read my social media account, although it mainly concentrates on travel and photography or literature, will know that I have an interest in Customer Service. In truth, it is not so much about customer service, and more about the lack of services, and the lack of personal interest. Companies who rest their entire help or information system on Artificial Intelligence, for example, and thereby frustrate and alienate their customer base are a prime example, but also in those areas where such interaction isn’t possible, but the service is failing anyway through a lack of interest and training. I recently had cause to open a new bank account…
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A Remembrance of Times Past
I was faced, yesterday, with a typical teenager question, one most will have heard at some stage, maybe even uttered themselves. What’s the point. What is the point of all that we do, all that we learn, every second of every day? Do we have a purpose, or a destiny written in, or by, the stars, by fate, by some Almighty entity hidden from view and only revealed to the True Believer? The question, though, came from my partner who, to be brutally honest, has not seen their own teenage years for several decades, and who was referring to my penchant for historical works and, in particular, updating a certain…
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Free Drinks and a Vague Promise
Stop Always Going to Openings: Openings have long been the laziest way to consume art in Berlin. Free entry, a drink, and the vague promise of seeing something – even though they’re often so crowded you barely see anything at all. It has been a few years since I last went to a Grand Opening, a Vernissage, or anything even close to the Premiere of something lauded in advance, or fashionable. Music, art, fashion, installations, whatever one cares to call them, they are the bane of many, but the life blood of those in need of a quick, free finger-food and drink fix and, above all, in need of being…
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The Pressure of Impatience
There is one simple killer for anyone who believes they wish to take photographs, the difference between a wonderful image, and a snapshot: Impatience. In a world where everything is done quickly, from fast food to internet connections, Patience is far more than simply a virtue, it is one of the lost virtues no longer practiced. We need to hurry from one place to another, always one step ahead of time, always experiencing the best of life as quickly as possible, so that we do not miss the next experience. With so many short films on various social media web sites, it is important that we weigh our own lives…
